Hilaria Helen Rader

Mass of Christian Burial for Hilaria Rader, 89, of Worthington, will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at St. Leo Catholic Church in St. Leo, MN. Visitation will be Friday from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., with a rosary at 5:00 p.m. and a prayer service at 7:00 p.m., at the Horvath Remembrance Center in Marshall. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Interment will follow the service at St. Leo Catholic Cemetery in St. Leo.

Hilaria Helen (Kopka) Rader, 89, passed away on Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at the Sunset Hospice Cottage in Worthington, Minnesota.  Hilaria was born on August 21, 1933, in Elmdale, Minnesota to Joseph and Edith (Schneider) Kopka.

Hilaria graduated from Upsala High School in 1952.  She then moved to Minneapolis and held a variety of jobs.  On July 10, 1965, Hilaria married Joseph (Joe) Rader and raised three children – Bruce, Rose, and Pamela – on a farm outside of Clarkfield, Minnesota.  In May 2015, Hilaria and Joe moved off the farm and to Hill Street in Marshall, Minnesota.  Joe passed away in November 2017, and Hilaria moved to Ecumen Meadows in Worthington, Minnesota in September 2022 to be closer to family.

Hilaria was a devoted and loving wife, mother, and grandmother.  She made her home a welcoming place for all and orchestrated many family holidays for several family members over the years.  Anyone who had met Hilaria was instantly touched by her compassion and nurturing disposition.  She was a woman who welcomed all with open arms and had a way to make you feel special.

Hilaria had many hobbies with sewing and baking pies at the top of her list.  If she was not creating something with her sewing machine (quilts, table runners, wall designs, just to name a few), she was busy making pies at her family’s request (banana cream, butterscotch, and pecan were often the most requested).  While on the farm, she was often found gardening and canning her prizes in the fall.

Hilaria enjoyed spending time with her family and was often found attending baseball games, track and field events, and recitals for her grandchildren.  She also spent quality time with her children – attending craft fairs, accepting all invites to shop, going to concerts (Engelbert Humperdinck was her favorite), attending musicals, taking dinner cruises on the Mississippi River – the list goes on and on.  Family was her number one priority and we all felt it.

Left to cherish her memory and ensure her legacy remains strong are Bruce (Susan) Rader, Rose (Tom) Reisdorfer, and Pam (Grant) Johnson; grandchildren Matt and Luke Rader, Jason and Katie Reisdorfer, and Joe Johnson; and many loving nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents Joe and Edith Kopka; husband Joe Rader; siblings Anthony, Annella, and baby William.

A heartfelt thank you to Sunset Hospice Cottage in Worthington, Minnesota for their tender care of Hilaria during her final days.